that's weird, man.
C: no kidding
he likes to beat around the bush...and then run around it...and then skip around it....point is..he never gets to the bush. hahah
come to think of it, that is SUCH a weird saying
hahah
why would you want to get to the bush?
Good question, C! First of all, if someone beats around the bush, it means that he or she is avoiding a question or topic and not getting straight to the point. So where did this phrase come from? The consensus is that hunters used to beat tree branches so that the game would escape and it would be easier for hunters to catch them. It was an indirect hunting technique to get to the game without having to attack them point blank. You can read more about the origins of this phrase here.
So, C, to answer your question, you would want to get to the bush because that's where your dinner is. The main difference is that when hunters did this, they wanted to get the game in the tree. It was one more step for them to reach their goal. When we use this technique today, we often want to avoid the main point. We offer a million answers before we admit to the truth. It's a bunch of steps we take to avoid reaching the goal. I wonder how it happened. Is this human evolution? Our predecessors beat around the bush to survive physically, to feed themselves. Today, we do it to survive too, but in a social way. Sometimes we do it to save face.
Oh, but the idea of saving face is something I'll explore in my next post. Coming soon: the etymology of "heck" and why it's more acceptable than "hell" and "fuck."
Labels: idioms
